Biography
Pierre Desproges (9 May 1939 – 18 April 1988) was a French comedian born in Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis. He claimed to have accomplished little before turning 30. Between 1967 and 1970, he held various jobs including life insurance salesman, opinion poll investigator, "lonely hearts" columnist, horse racing forecaster, and sales manager for a company producing styrofoam beams.
From 1970 to 1976, Desproges worked at the newspaper L'Aurore. In 1975, he began appearing as a "reporter" on Le petit rapporteur (The Little Snitch), a satirical TV program hosted by Jacques Martin. He gained attention through his unconventional interviews with celebrities such as novelists Françoise Sagan and Jean-Edern Hallier.
He made his stage debut at the Olympia theater during a Thierry Le Luron show. He became widely known for his 1986 radio program, Chroniques de la haine ordinaire (Chronicles of Ordinary Hatred).
During the 1980s, Desproges was a daily presence on Le tribunal des flagrants délires, a comedy show featuring mock trials of celebrities. He played the role of prosecutor for over two years, showcasing his sharp wit, biting humor, and literary knowledge.
In 1982, he created La minute nécessaire de Monsieur Cyclopède, a series of TV shorts where he portrayed an all-knowing professor. The character answered absurd and metaphysical questions like "How to make King Louis XVI fireproof?", argued that Beethoven was not deaf but foolish, and explained why a meeting between the Venus de Milo and Saint Exupéry's 'Petit Prince' was a disaster. Each episode ended with the phrase: "Étonnant, non?" ("Astonishing, isn't it?").
Desproges debuted his first stand-up show in 1984 at the Théâtre Fontaine. His second stand-up, Pierre Desproges se donne en spectacle, premiered in 1986 at the Théâtre Grévin. He began work on a third stand-up, with drafts published posthumously in 2010.
In 1987, doctors diagnosed him with advanced, inoperable lung cancer. His family, with the doctors' agreement, chose to keep the diagnosis from him so he could live his final days peacefully. He passed away in 1988, from the illness he had often mocked, famously saying, "I won’t have cancer: I’m against it." He is buried in Paris’s Père Lachaise Cemetery, with an epitaph that reads: "Pierre Desproges est mort d'un cancer, étonnant, non?" ("Pierre Desproges died of cancer, astonishing, isn't it?").
